OCR Text |
Show YIIK STOKY SO FAR: Intelligence CMIu-er tlfm.u.g't warnlnt; that 200,000 turvlKn troops were poised in Mexico for at. iUik on Ui l' tilted States caused grave concern tn army headquarter!, but the people branded the statement as "war numsvring." Four large iouth-ru iouth-ru cities were suddenly attacked from CHAPTER VIII Continued As Boll's eye went back Into the air, his mind was lifted suddenly sudden-ly out of the depths of black despair by a joyous miracle of develop- tjpent. Those new planes were closing clos-ing In and he made out by the shape of wings and fuselage that they were not Van Hassek planes. Boll's hand flashed out his field-glasses. field-glasses. He glued them to the skies. From under the wings of those in-rushlng in-rushlng squadrons flashed the glorious glo-rious legend "U. S. Army." American planes plummeted down. Van Hassek's hornets now were droning about In a Lufberry circle awaiting the developments of attack. V In a twinkling the American bird-men bird-men projected an audacious assault Planes circled, dove, rolled, darted in the throes of combat A plane came whistling down. Boll's Jaw tightened as he saw the first casualty casual-ty was an American plane. But quickly two of Van Hassek's bird-men bird-men came tumbling out of the sky. If the Van Hassek pilots had stalled for reinforcements, they now decided upon precipitate flight against superior number. Another Van Hassek plane went down. In a minute the cloud of darting falcons "- passed into the distance behind. A noon sun was burning the baked hills and swales when Boll's survivors sur-vivors rolled in on a Second Division outpost south of Kirk. Boll's cheek, caked in blood, was throbbing with pain, his right arm hung stiff and useless at his side. He climbed from the truck and stolidly checked his command as it came through the outpost Forty-two moaned in the throes of wounds, twenty-nine had been left dead along the crimson road from Laredo. The outpost commander came hur-rying hur-rying up. "Sorry to report in with my command com-mand shot to pieces like this. Colonel," Colo-nel," Boll reported in grim dejection. dejec-tion. "But the only choice was capture. Where's the hospital, sir? My wounded must have care at once!" "Eleventh's men are being evacuated evacu-ated to San Antonio, Captain," the outpost commander advised. "Colo-. "Colo-. nel Derm was killed, total casual--tSs over three hundred men. But maybe that's not too bad when you consider our border cavalry was all gobbled up. The Twelfth and Fifth are still fighting it out but they haven't any more chance than Custer Cus-ter had. From all reconnaissance reports, we'll be attacked in force here before many hours pass. All right, Boll, get rolling." CHAPTER IX in Washington, Captain Benning spent a sleepless nightmare of a night on the assignment from Flag-will Flag-will of observing panic-stricken streets. Daybreak and exhaustion restored some degree of reason. People moved about now as if stunned, but from time to time looking fearfully into the skies or straining at every word of radio loudspeakers that hadbeen put in service on principal Streets. Traffic jams finally had been reduced, re-duced, steady streams of cabs and cars were pouring out of the city on all roads. Thousands flocked about the railway station clamoring for standing space on any train that led away from Washington. Extra editions of newspapers burst into the streets at frequent intervals. inter-vals. Texas invaded. Extras massed black headlines over meager dispatches dis-patches from San Antonio. Van Hassek Has-sek was moving north in three columns. col-umns. American infantry and cavalry cav-alry were fighting him at the Rio Grande. American Second Division was moving south to repel the invasion. in-vasion. Another extra dashed out. Washington Wash-ington safe! Benning read eagerly. It had been as Flagwill guessed. The night raiders had planted a refueling re-fueling field. Back of the Tennessee River, southwest from Nashville. The thing had been camouflaged as a new airways enterprise, had even been fostered by ambitious and un-"pecting un-"pecting chambers of commerce. When the bombers and their convoys con-voys of fighting craft had put down to fill their tanks after bombing Washington, a few mounted machine ma-chine guns had kept curious natives away. The aircraft had taken all personnel off at resuming their flight back to Mexico. Another raid on Washington would be impossible unless attack could be launched from tip sea. That subdued hum of relentless activity ac-tivity filled the Munitions Building. Faces were lined and gray from strain and fatigue, but eyes burned from smudged sockets with stern resolution. The night's panic had swept the whole country. In the midwest there had been incredulity at first The whole thing seemed too inconceivable. inconceiv-able. Invasions, bomber raids, were an intangible atrocity occurring to distant peoples and recorded in dispatches. dis-patches. Those inexplicable atroci- INSTAI.LMENT NINE the air; Washington was bumbrd and Uie rrcstdrnl killed. General Brill, commander com-mander o( the army In Texai, reported to Geiroral Hague at Washington that he was opposed by (ready guperlor forcei. General Hague told him to resist Ui enemy'i advance at all cosla. llrlll ordered or-dered Captain Doll to lead the HLh U. S. 1 -V -l -J -M 1 W W TT W IT ties belonged to the black pages of Shanghai, Canton, and Madrid. Already the hue and cry was rising ris-ing west of the Alleghenies sharp on the heels of the first hysterical waves of fear. What of the Army? Why had our armed forces been caught napping? Why hadn't the raiders been detected and shot down? The first reports of mobilization of Army and National Guard were pouring In. Mobilization was less than one fourth complete. The Regular Reg-ular Army was ready to entrain for concentration points from its far-flung far-flung network of small garrisons whose location had been dictated by chambers of commerce and congressmen con-gressmen rather than by the necessities neces-sities of military training In the vital vi-tal team-play of larger units. Plans were being laid for a call for 500,000 volunteers. That would have to wait action by Congress, but Congress could be depended upon now to go the limit A draft army of a million men would come next. As for modern equipment, that would have to wait There would be no such thing as buying it In France and England, even in Canada, Can-ada, as at the time of the World War. A year, or two years, might elapse before industrial mobilization, the country's own resources, could s y "1 have two reports that will Interest you." provide anything more than the crudest necessities of combat If a major war was in the offing, the country would have to depend upon the massed valor of its manpower to take unequal red losses and drive through at all costs. It was nine o'clock before Colonel Flagwill stamped in from the Chief of Staff's office. His face was ashen and lined, but his level black eyes glowed vitality. "What an inglorious tangle!" he muttered to Benning with a tormented torment-ed shake of his head. "Which way to turn, that's the question bedeviling bedevil-ing all of us." "I've been reading the reports and recommendations of the stafT sections, sec-tions, sir," Benning answered. "Mobilization "Mo-bilization seems to be moving right along and the panic is cooling off, even in Washington." "Mobilizing is one thing, fighting another," Flagwill snapped out. "By tonight when the Second gets cracked at San Antonio, the whole country will be howling for action. The howl for anti-aircraft is already pouring in and every one of our ten regiments of anti-aircraft is short something, a battery or two, a full battalion, or essential equipment equip-ment Not to mention ammunition. "The big trouble is, we don't know yet what we're up against and we've got to play a cautious game. If all we had to consider was Van Hassek, Has-sek, we'd rush troops in there and give him his lesson in a very few weeks. What the public will not be able to understand, nor even Congress, Con-gress, is that we've got to use most of our peace-strength army as a framework for building a national army. "But anyhow, come what may with the future," Flagwill went on with a sardonic grin, "the Chief has just made one ten-strike of a decision. deci-sion. We're to make our first real military stand down around Fort Worth, which is about as far as Van Hassek would dare go in any event." Flagwill bolted a sandwich and washed it down with a cup of coffee, then pulled himself up to his desk. "I've two reports that will interest you, Benning," he announced abruptly. "First, we've a tip from London that the Coalition espionage system in the United States is organized or-ganized to completely wreck our industrial in-dustrial organization. That merely Infantry Into position (or batUe. Boll's motor column bravely withstood a terrible terri-ble strafing from enemy aircraft, but be ordered the men to abandon their trucks when be observed twenty more planes approaching. ParUier resistance seemed useless to hlra. Now continue with the story. .11 1L Jt TV confirms what we'd guessed long ago. They also suggest that the enemy espionage has Its headquarters headquar-ters in New York, disguised as some large corporation, no details available. avail-able. Second, I have positive information infor-mation that Van Hassek's bombers had ground liaison in Washington last night Light signals were flashed from the area of the White House during both raids." Benning started. Into his mind flashed Captain Fincke's cryptic statements at the Shoreham. Promptly he decided against reporting report-ing this conversation for the time being. He gave Flagwill a brief account ac-count of his discovery of the Austrian Aus-trian captain and Colonel Bogglo and explained his logic in not Immediately Immediate-ly causing their arrest "All right Benning," Flagwill said, his eyes snapping. "I'll assume as-sume you made no mistake in not arresting them last night But now you forget everything else and get out after them! Use your own Judgment Judg-ment about when you make arrests, but see to It they don't get away from you. I needn't tell you that the Coalition spy net is ten times more dangerous In the long run than Van Hassek's present rotten Invasion." Inva-sion." CHAPTER X General Mole sat In the hot shelter shel-ter of his command post which had been dug by engineers Into the reverse re-verse slope of a squat ridge. He puffed glumly at the stub of a cigar as he observed the arrival of his regimental and battalion commanders command-ers whom he had summoned from over his battle position. Planes soared overhead, American Ameri-can combat planes covering his position posi-tion against air attack. From time to time an observation plane dashed low with a dropped message reporting report-ing progress of the Van Hassek approach. ap-proach. At last word, the main Van Hassek column had cleared the Nueces Nue-ces River after routing a motorized battalion strong-point that Mole had sent out to gain contact and delay the enemy. Mole's plan of battle was shaped; his formal orders had been distributed. distribut-ed. Since morning the men had been digging in. All his artillery had been dug in and camouflaged. Here he had an immense, hastily organized citadel of mutually supporting strong-points. Machine guns had been placed for the maximum of destructive effect The breaking of one line yielded the enemy the grim necessity of attacking attack-ing a new one. Roads menacing his flanks were strongly covered. It was not such a position as he would have selected of his own choice, but since necessity forced it on him, he meant to make the most of his opportunities for stubborn resistance. re-sistance. His senior aide-de-camp came up to him and saluted. "Sir, the officers are assembled," the captain advised. There was a greenish hue to the general's lean, cadaverous face, brought by the stress of the past few days. His eyes were bloodshot under puffy black lids, but they shone with a stout even glitter, that proclaimed the mastery of will over flesh. As he stood up to face bis assembled commanders, he was perfectly per-fectly contained. "I wanted a few words with you before we go into action, gentlemen," gentle-men," he began in a calm voice. "The decision to fight here was made for us by General Hague. Therefore, it becomes our decision. Let me frankly say that the Army is on the spot that the people wouldn't understand the simple wisdom wis-dom of our falling back without a fight." He paused and his pale, bluish lips drew down into an expression of bitterness. "All right, we'll go through! We'll hold! We'll give the country a new tradition to remember! We'll fight Van Hassek with one regiment to four or five! If we're attacked this afternoon we'll fight until night. We'll hold through tomorrow. Then I'll make my further decision. When the time comes I'll give the order for withdrawal which must be by night." General Mole paused again to look about among them and then spoke in slow, biting words. "Gentlemen, a final word! We'll show the country what our mettle is. We'll show the enemy what they can expect to meet once our armies are mobilized and organized and trained. Remember this, if we lost every last man in the Second Division, Divi-sion, our losses would still be only a fraction of what the good old Second Sec-ond took in France, even if nobody remembers that fact but the Second's Sec-ond's survivors!" His voice rose to a furious intensity in-tensity and his clenched hand rose above his head. "A new Alamo to remember, gentlemen! gen-tlemen! That's what we'll give the country a new Alamo to remember! remem-ber! Put that thought into the teeth of your men. That's all!" (TO BE COKTlNVZDi |